Welcome back, Blue Jay fans! We’re back with another week of Hopkins sports as the fall teams finish up their regular seasons and winter sports start their campaigns. There are lots of big wins and playoff runs to look forward to! Here’s the breakdown of this past week’s events.
Football: Centennial Conference champions
Hopkins’s football brought their season record to 8–1 and locked up a share of the Centennial Conference Championship with a 30–0 win over Dickinson on Saturday, Nov. 9. Most importantly, the Blue Jays victory punched their ticket to the NCAA playoffs.
It was a defensive masterclass by the Blue Jays as they pitched a shutout and contributed with a touchdown of their own. The defensive touchdown came courtesy of a 28-yard fumble recovery by junior defensive back Carson Bourdo.
On the offensive side of the ball, it was a balanced attack as senior quarterback James Rinello passed for 137 yards and two touchdowns while senior running back Andrew Rich did damage on the ground, accumulating 81 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Women’s field hockey: Centennial Conference champions
Field hockey locked up their sixth consecutive Centennial Conference Championship with a 4–1 win over Ursinus College. The Blue Jays found themselves in a defensive battle early before opening the floodgates in the second half, leading them to a comfortable victory.
Near the end of the first half, the game was locked in a 0–0 draw, but, in the final minute of the half, the Blue Jays scored, giving them momentum into the break they would not relinquish. Hopkins scored two more in the opening minutes of the third quarter and did not look back.
Graduate student midfielder Lila Slattery ran rampant in this one, scoring two goals and contributing with an assist. For her efforts, she was awarded the Centennial Conference tournament MVP.
Women’s soccer: Centennial Conference champions
Completing the trifecta over the weekend was women’s soccer, who stormed past Franklin and Marshall 2–0 to win their third consecutive Centennial Conference Championship.
A couple of first-half goals and strong defensive showing was the recipe for success for the Blue Jays. The first Hopkins goal found the back of the net on a 19th minute breakaway as graduate student forward Carrie McIntire connected with fellow graduate student Olivia Piraino for the goal. The Blue Jays found breathing room right before the break when freshman midfielder Carolyn Johnson fired home a misplayed cross, giving the Blue Jays a 2–0 cushion in the contest.
The Blue Jays defense was steadfast throughout the Centennial Conference tournament, and, for her contributions, senior midfielder Juliana Taxter was named the Centennial Conference tournament MVP.
Women’s Basketball: W (72–55)
Women’s basketball got off to a strong start, getting a win in their season opener 72–55 over New Jersey City University. The Blue Jays found themselves down early and went into halftime down by one, but they rallied back convincingly in the second half to a comfortable win.
Junior guard Macie Feldman led the charge, leading the team in both points and rebounds with a 13 point-14 rebound double-double.
The Blue Jays will look to build on a good start with another win in their next matchup on Saturday, Nov. 16 against Averett University.
Men’s Basketball: W (75–69), W (70-56)
Men’s basketball began their season with a bang, beating Marymount University 75–69 to open their 2024–2025 campaign. The game was close throughout, as it was all tied up going into halftime, but, in the end, the Blue Jays pulled away with a seven-point victory.
Senior guard John Windley had it going as he tallied up 24 points to go along with six rebounds and four steals.
As a team, the Blue Jays struggled to find their stroke from behind the arc, shooting seven for 25 from three, but they still managed to find a way to win.
The Blue Jay’s followed up their season opening win with a 70-56 victory over York. The Blue Jays will try to continue their winning ways this Saturday (Nov. 16) away against Salisbury.
